TESTIMONIALS
Sandy Li uses her unique blend of industry, recruiting and coaching expertise to deliver results in a truly differentiated way. Her solutions are practical, tangible and clients notice immediate improvement within the initial session. Here is what some of her clients have to say about their experience working with Sandy:
''Sandy has been my trusted career advisor for over 15 years ... I can always count on her to give me fact-based counseling, ask thought-provoking questions to help me to focus in the right direction, and provide practical suggestions ... While it’s been an atypical career path, Sandy’s insight has helped get me back into the private sector resulting in the role I have today as MD and Head of Corporate and Investment Banking Strategy at JPMorgan.''
- Managing Director, JPMorgan
“Sandy has been my trusted career advisor for over 15 years. I started my career in risk consulting with Oliver Wyman then moved into management consulting with McKinsey. Afterward, I joined the Bloomberg administration to work for the New York City government, and now I am back in the private sector as a Managing Director and Head of Corporate and Investment Banking Strategy at JPMorgan.
Sandy has given me strategic guidance every step of the way. I can always count on her to give me fact-based counseling during the search, ask thought-provoking questions to help me to focus in the right direction, and provide practical suggestions on offer negotiations.
While it’s been an atypical career path, Sandy’s insight has helped get me back into the private sector resulting in the role I have today as MD and Head of Corporate and Investment Banking Strategy at JPMorgan.”
- Managing Director, JPMorgan
''Sandy is one of the most talented and smartest people I’ve come across in my professional career ... I think her innate abilities set her apart from others in the coaching practice ... She coached me and helped me transition from investment banking into the fashion industry at Gucci Group. Now as the CEO and Founder of Believe Athletics, she continues to help me enormously as my most trusted advisor.”
- CEO and Founder, Believe Athletics
“Sandy is one of the most talented and smartest people I’ve come across in my professional career.
I’ve known Sandy for more than 15 years. We met early in her career at Morgan Stanley in investment banking, and I’ve had the opportunity to see her evolve during these years not only professionally but also personally, always holding herself to the highest standards and aiming for excellence at everything she pursued.
I think her innate abilities set her apart from others in the coaching practice. She is not only an excellent communicator who is able to engage her audience, turning complicated concepts into simple and understandable notions; she is also a very good listener, highly analytical, being able to dissect your situation and then reframe it, offering truly tailored specific and practical advice. She coached me and helped me transition from investment banking into the fashion industry at Gucci Group. Now as the CEO and Founder of Believe Athletics, she continues to help me enormously as my most trusted advisor.”
- CEO and Founder, Believe Athletics
''Sandy was instrumental during the contract negotiation/offer management stage of the job search process ... she was able to help me identify where I had bargaining power and how to leverage it. She's insightful and honest and helped me come up with an actionable plan to succeed in my new role.''
- Global Program Manager, Amazon.com
“Sandy was instrumental during the contract negotiation/offer management stage of the job search process. Because she really took the time to get to know me, she was able to help me identify where I had bargaining power and how to leverage it. She's insightful and honest and helped me come up with an actionable plan to succeed in my new role.”
- Global Program Manager, Amazon.com
''... She expertly guided me through a thought process that elucidated what I valued most in my life overall, not just in my professional career, and helped me think through the implications of those values for my different options. She is an excellent executive coach whose expertise I will continue to seek for many, many years to come.''
- Assistant Professor, Columbia University
“Sandy helped me think through both my personal and professional considerations and discover what was most important for me as a whole. She expertly guided me through a thought process that elucidated what I valued most in my life overall, not just in my professional career, and helped me think through the implications of those values for my different options. She is an excellent executive coach whose expertise I will continue to seek for many, many years to come.”
- Associate Professor, Columbia University
“... She has worked with thousands of executives, she knows the business inside and out, and most importantly, she's not afraid of relaying honest feedback. I find her candor refreshing and incredibly helpful, especially valuable when trying to position yourself for a stretch opportunity.”
- Vice President, Human Resources, Global Asset Manager
“Working with Sandy as I was thinking through next steps in my career was invaluable to me. She has worked with thousands of executives, she knows the business inside and out, and most importantly, she's not afraid of relaying honest feedback. I find her candor refreshing and incredibly helpful, especially valuable when trying to position yourself for a stretch opportunity.”
- Vice President, Human Resources, Global Asset Manager
“I had the opportunity to participate in Sandy’s coaching classes while recruiting for investment banking at Anderson. I came from a non-traditional background working in middle office roles throughout my career. I was also in the part-time MBA program, so I knew breaking in was going to be difficult. Sandy’s classes were invaluable as she broke down my resume to what recruiters were looking for. Her coaching also helped me craft a story for the pitch that I used throughout the recruiting process ... With her help, I was able to land an internship offer at a bulge bracket investment bank and will be returning full-time next year...”
- Executive MBA, UCLA Anderson School of Management
“I had the opportunity to participate in Sandy’s coaching classes while recruiting for investment banking at Anderson. I came from a non-traditional background working in middle office roles throughout my career. I was also in the part-time MBA program, so I knew breaking in was going to be difficult. Sandy’s classes were invaluable as she broke down my resume to what recruiters were looking for. Her coaching also helped me craft a story for the pitch that I used throughout the recruiting process. Her candid and detailed advice was extremely helpful and it was great getting her perspective. With her help, I was able to land an internship offer at a bulge bracket investment bank and will be returning full-time next year.”
- Executive MBA, UCLA Anderson School of Management
''... Working with Sandy as a coach – she’s very professional. She’s candid and very experienced having interviewed thousands of executives and seen thousands of executives’ resumes. That experience really came through during our conversations. It’s been great because it’s not an academic approach. It’s very practical, real-time with relevant personalized learning. We don’t just move from one session to the next, each session builds upon prior learning so that I am confidently well positioned for my next step.''
- C-suite Executive, Coca-Cola
“Sandy has a lot of practical experience having worked in industry and it’s easy to connect my current experiences to her because she’s seen them and helped people successfully move from one career phase to the next.
The career assessment was invaluable because it helped me really get focused and specific about what my future career interests would be and identify companies and entrepreneurial opportunities where I’d like to put my experience to use.
Having worked 30 years in different roles, it was challenging to be able to summarize it in a way that would be impactful and concise. Resume editing was a collaborative effort where Sandy was a tremendous help with wordsmithing and making sure every sentence, every word, and the formatting all worked to my advantage in the hands of a potential employer.
I haven’t interviewed in many years, so she challenged me to think and articulate in a very concise way, to be able to sell myself in a natural conversational environment. The interviews for C-suite executives are very different than when I interviewed 30 years ago.
Working with Sandy as a coach – she’s very professional. She’s candid and very experienced having interviewed thousands of executives and seen thousands of executives’ resumes. That experience really came through during our conversations. It’s been great because it’s not an academic approach. It’s very practical, real-time with relevant personalized learning. We don’t just move from one session to the next, each session builds upon prior learning so that I am confidently well positioned for my next step to secure board opportunities.”
- C-suite Executive, Coca-Cola
''... What differentiates Sandy from the many other human resources and recruiting professionals I have met is her incredible ‘EQ’. I was not looking for a different job; I was looking to meet my personal life obligations to my family. Sandy spent the time with me to understand this and help me shape what exactly it meant, how it could fit with my professional desires, and how best to manage the competing challenges in my life... I am lucky to have met her.''
- Former Co-Head of Credit Research and Co-Portfolio Manager of US CLO, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co
“I had the good fortune of meeting Sandy Li in early 2008. I had started tentatively looking for a job in California. For family reasons at the time, it appeared that my wife and I needed to move closer to our parents. While we were able to stay east, during the search process I was lucky to start a relationship with Sandy that continues today.
Sandy is a phenomenal sounding board. She has a great sense for the job market, the quality of jobs within an organization, and how best to position oneself during the interview process. The analogy is that Sandy has great ‘IQ’ for a career adviser.
What differentiates Sandy from the many other human resources and recruiting professionals I have met is her incredible ‘EQ’. I was not looking for a different job; I was looking to meet my personal life obligations to my family. Sandy spent the time with me to understand this and help me shape what exactly it meant, how it could fit with my professional desires, and how best to manage the competing challenges in my life. I received a lot of job advice from others that would make sense solely professionally. Sandy gave me advice, encouragement, and support that fit with who I am and what my overall life goals were. Her perspective on the totality of what I was trying to do – vs. just professionally - allowed her to provide me with the best support.
In my life, I have a number of family members and friends who can provide me with great assistance outside work; I have had the good fortune to meet many people professionally who have helped guide my career. The people who can support the crossover of both are very few. Sandy is one of those people. I am lucky to have met her and hope that she will continue to be generous with her time.”
- Former Co-Head of Credit Research and Co-Portfolio Manager of US CLO, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co
''Her knowledge of the asset management industry, compensation and market comparable data provided me with objective tools with which to benchmark my current position and salary ... something that not every executive coach really incorporates into the conversation.''
- Executive Vice President, PIMCO
“Her knowledge of the asset management industry, compensation and market comparable data provided me with objective tools with which to benchmark my current position and salary, often leading me to the conclusion that the grass is not always greener elsewhere. I also appreciated the inclusion of personal considerations, which are very important to me, into our discussions and analysis – something that not every executive coach really incorporates into the conversation.”
- Executive Vice President, PIMCO
''Sandy is the ultimate professional and a fantastic executive coach ... Relocating and transitioning to a new company was a huge decision for me and my family, and Sandy effectively positioned me to be as well informed as possible to make the decision.''
- Head of Derivatives Strategic Operations, T. Rowe Price
“Sandy is the ultimate professional and a fantastic executive coach. She recently helped me explore and comprehensively assess a new opportunity and ultimately guided me to making a well-informed decision. Throughout the process, Sandy was extremely client-focused and made me aware of all of the pluses and minuses of the new opportunity, both from a personal perspective and a professional perspective. Relocating and transitioning to a new company was a huge decision for me and my family, and Sandy effectively positioned me to be as well informed as possible to make the decision.”
- Head of Derivatives Strategic Operations, T. Rowe Price
“I worked with Sandy twice during my job search – first when starting my search and most recently when negotiating my compensation package. I found our sessions to be rich with detail and insight. They were engaging but most importantly, usable. Not only is she able to converse about the abstract aspects of a job: career aspirations, organizational culture, personality fit, and lifestyle, she also provides tangible facts, figures, contacts, and resources ... I highly recommend her services for job seekers, but also those looking to manage their careers for the long-term.”
- Head of Product, Doximity
“I worked with Sandy twice during my job search – first when starting my search and most recently when negotiating my compensation package. I found our sessions to be rich with detail and insight. They were engaging but most importantly, usable. Not only is she able to converse about the abstract aspects of a job: career aspirations, organizational culture, personality fit, and lifestyle, she also provides tangible facts, figures, contacts, and resources. She is an experienced career consultant and I highly recommend her services for job seekers, but also those looking to manage their careers for the long-term.”
- Head of Product, Doximity
“From one workshop, I learned new tangible and practical insights … My experience working with Sandy Li is that she gets to the core of issues very quickly and delivers immediate results … I have extensively used the vast HBS network and alumni career services, however, Sandy’s bespoke advice and coaching is really what is giving me more confidence to get my next job … She doesn’t give you a common formula. She really analyzes the situation and uses her extensive technical and experiential expertise to give you solutions that are so personalized, it’s just right…”
- MBA Alumna, Harvard Business School
“I attended Sandy’s HBS Board Resume Workshop, and the selected resume examples from audience submissions were very applicable to everyone attending the event, not just the specific people whose resumes were being critiqued. From one workshop, I learned new tangible and practical insights. I was very impressed with her ability to bring out the best in someone’s personal experience and craft how to uniquely position their candidacy so they would fit in and also stand out in the boardroom. I quickly realized I really needed her help not just to get aboard position but also to transition to a new role in my career.
My experience working with Sandy Li is that she gets to the core of issues very quickly and delivers immediate results. Whether it helps with resume editing, interviewing, networking and creating connections, it’s been eye-opening. She’s helping me hone my existing skills and develop new skills in order to be more effective in my job search.
I have extensively used the vast HBS network and alumni career services, however, Sandy’s bespoke advice and coaching are really what is giving me more confidence to get my next job.
I really enjoy working with Sandy because she’s very good at what she does. She’s very knowledgeable, takes time to listen and understand my situation from a holistic perspective, and helps me work on the skills that I need to develop - that’s really rare in a coaching situation. I’ve worked with lots of other coaches before. She doesn’t give you a common formula. She really analyzes the situation and uses her extensive technical and experiential expertise to give you solutions that are so personalized, it’s just right for just you.
I initially felt scared about going into my job search process 20 years into my career, but I know I’m finally getting the help I need. It feels great.”
- MBA Alumna, Harvard Business School